


Using his “Aaron Hotchner” voice

by kara8899



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Age Regression, Gen, Im trash at these tags but here we are, Spencer cute, Spencer is an angle baby literally, Upset Spencer, also Aaron is there, bau, he gets overwhelmed, so cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:20:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23361607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kara8899/pseuds/kara8899
Summary: This is just a cute short story of Spence getting a bit overwhelmed but still being his cute sweet self and being fucking adorable. Also it is sort of like an age regression thing too so like, if you don’t like it, cool, don’t read it.
Comments: 7
Kudos: 155





	Using his “Aaron Hotchner” voice

**Author's Note:**

> So like I said, this is sort of like an age regression type thing, but like, toned down I guess. Yea idk. Also I definitely do NOT own criminal minds or the characters, sorry:(

"Hey, Morgan, Spence doesn't look too good. Can you tell Hotch? I just... want him to make sure he's alright." JJ spoke softly into her phone. The team had just solved a difficult case, involving a schizophrenic and his multitude of children assisting him with covering up the murders he had been committing for the past month and a half.  
The task of profiling the unsub fell mostly on Reid's shoulders, which would be mentally and emotionally draining to anyone, but especially him. But due to his extreme iq and his experiences with his own mother, who just happened to be a paranoid schizophrenic, he had been a great asset in profiling and finding the unsub. And though he would never admit it in fear of seeming weak, he had always hated working on cases involving schizophrenia because of his mother.  
JJ knew that as soon as they boarded the jet, Spence, as she had called him, would shove his emotions to the side and try his hardest to ignore them. But if Hotch could catch him before they were leaving, he could usually sooth his subordinate and make him talk it out. No one but Hotch had the ability to do it thought, many of the other team members tried, but Reid would brush them off, saying he was perfectly fine and dandy, when in fact, he was not.  
JJ had hung up the phone and Hotch walked into the station. Morgan stood up from the desk he was using and walked over to his boss.  
"Hey Hotch, JJ said Reid wasn't looking too hot, she was wondering if you'd be able to talk to him for a little bit." Morgan spoke softly, not wanting anyone to overhear the private conversation. Hotch nodded and spoke just as softly, "He's driving here with JJ now?"  
"I'm assuming so, she was speaking pretty quiet as if he were there with her." Morgan said. Hotch just nodded again.  
Some ten minutes later JJ and a wide eyed Spencer Reid walked into the station, where Hotch, Morgan, Emily, and Rossi had been waiting. Something was obviously off with the young Dr. He was looking at the ground and trailing behind JJ like a small puppy. Hotch spoke first, "Wheels up in thirty."  
Seconds after he spoke, Hotch remembered what JJ had told Morgan, and judging from Reid's eyes, this case had done in the kid. Hotch needed to speak with him before they left or Reid would never open up about the case.  
As everyone was packing up the case files and cleaning off the evidence boards, Hotch walked over to Spencer, who looked up shyly as Hotch approached him, almost as if he felt threatened by his boss. Hotch sighed and spoke softly, knowing, Reid in this state of mind wouldn't be able to handle anything louder than a soft voice.  
"Reid, follow me please." He said as he walked out of the room they'd been set up in and walked into an empty office across the hall. Reid followed, looking at the ground as he went. Hotch closed the door as soon as his subordinate walked in.  
"Spencer," Using first names when Reid was like that usually helped put the kid at ease. "What is bothering you about this last case, and I need an honest answer. Don't give me what you think I want to hear, understand?" Spencer nodded without looking up at his boss.  
"R-reminded me of mom, when I was little. Just freaked me out, coulda been me I guess." He shrugged, biting his lip nervously. Hotch studied his young face, devoid of any emotion except the almost always present nervousness. Spencer's emotions were most likely hidden underneath the phrase "I'm fine."  
"Spencer, that's not what you want to say. You're safe now, it wasn't you, the unsub wasn't you. You need to tell me here, or you will tell Dr. Rachel back at Quantico. Understand?" The tone of voice Hotch used was normally saved for his time at home, being Aaron Hotchner talking with his son Jack. Of course Spencer Reid wasn't his son, but the tone of voice still worked wonders with the distressed young doctor. Spencer nodded, not saying a peep. A minute later, while he was staring off into space, Hotch felt a tug on his sleeve, not surprised that it was Spencer, he looked at the young agent.  
"H-Hotch... can I tell you something?" Reid's voice came out small, hesitant. Afraid of being shut down. His subordinate sounded like a child, genuinely afraid of being reprimanded for speaking his mind. Reid wouldn't speak like that unless he was really hurting or something was really bothering him.  
"Of course you can Spencer." He used his Aaron Hotchner voice again, hoping to make Reid more comfortable with telling him things. "Look at me first?" Spencer nodded and slowly lifted his gaze. He was still biting his lip, harder than before, showing just how nervous he was.  
Spencer took a deep breath and spoke softly, just as hesitant as before, "Umm... I th-think I'm..." His cheeks flushed and he looked back down at his shoes. Hotch knew Spencer had trouble trusting people so his almost crippling shyness was understandable, but he needed to know what the kid was thinking before they had to fly home.  
"Spencer, you need to just tell me, alright?" Hotch wasn't using his fatherly Aaron voice, just to show Spencer that he really did need him to tell him. Reid got the message and swallowed nervously, he was playing with his hands as he looked back up to meet his bosses eyes.  
"H-Hotch... I'm umm... I feel..." Spencer looked back at the ground as his cheeks flushed a light pink. Paired with his unruly mop of curly "boy band" hair, it made the young doctor look innocent and much younger than he was. Spencer mumbled the last part of his sentence, not really wanting to tell Hotch but knowing he had to.  
"What was that, Spencer?" The Aaron voice was back, gentle and soft. "L-little..." Spencer's eyes filled with tears and Hotch knew exactly what his young subordinate meant when he said it. Spencer didn't like to talk about how his childhood wasn't really much of a childhood at all, but over the years of working with him Hotch had picked up on a few things, such as when Reid ever got truly upset or extremely scared he became extremely shy and almost seemed to fold into himself, giving the impression that he were a distressed child. If he had been alone with Hotch he would have sobbed into his boss's chest, whimpered out a small, extremely childlike "sorry" with the r's sounding much more like w's, blushed, and never acknowledged that it ever happened, until the next time it did, of course. Somehow, regressing into a childlike state helped Spencer cope, and Hotch didn't have any problem with it as long as it didn't happen during a case. Though if it did, Aaron would deal with it like he would normally. Just letting Spencer cry in his arms for a while or having him spend the night in his hotel room could usually calm the distressed agent.  
"Spencer, how long have you felt like this today?" Hotch's voice was soft and comforting. Spencer whimpered and mumbled something Aaron couldn't quite hear. "Louder, Spencer." Hotch said.  
Spencer's eyes hadn't been able to contain anymore tears and they slid down his pale cheeks. "S-since M-Morgan said it was m-mister... mister Farley..." Hotch's face softened as he saw the tears pouring down his agent's face.  
"Spencer that was almost three hours ago, why didn't you come to me?" The Aaron voice was crucial at this time, soft enough to reassure his young subordinate but stern enough to show that Aaron was still in charge. "B-busy..." Was all Spencer said through his tears. Aaron Hotchner wanted nothing more than to pull the crying agent into his arms and comfort him, but he knew that Reid had to initiate contact before any should be given. Which is exactly what Reid did. He tucked himself right into Hotches arms, still crying softly, he blushed and buried his face in his boss's jacket.   
He cried like that for almost five more minutes before his tears stopped and he just clung there like Hotch was his lifeline. "Spencer, are you feeling better?" Hotch's voice was soft but cautious, not wanting to distress his young agent again. He felt Spencer nod, the boy's face still pressed against his suit jacket. He assumed Spencer didn't want to show his face because of the embarrassed blush he always got after crying in front of anyone.  
That blush was one of the things that made Spencer seem so much younger than any of the other members on the team. And he blushed at almost anything. It showed up more on him too, his fair skin always showing even the slightest flushes, which in turn, made the agent blush more. It was quite endearing if Aaron was being honest.  
After a minute or two, Spencer lifted his head up off of Hotch's chest and looked back at the ground shyly. "Th-thanks, Hotch. I feel better." He said softly, still sounding like a small child as he spoke, just with better pronunciations. A small blush crept onto his pale cheeks and he gave Hotch his signature awkward smile. Aaron smiled back at Spencer, which, just as he had expected, made Spencer blush brighter and look back at the ground.  
"You ready to join the others on the jet, Spencer?" Hotch said, checking his watch and seeing that they had five more minutes before they had to be there. Spencer nodded and mumbled something about Hotch's jacket. Aaron looked down to see a small patch of wetness, from Spencer's tears. He shrugged it off and held it in his arms, hiding the wet spot. Although Spencer's eyes were even redder than they were before arriving, the younger agent still thought in would be better if the rest of the team didn't know he'd cried on Hotch.  
"Are you still feeling little, Spencer?" Hotch asked gently. Spencer blushed and nodded, "A lil bit..." He said shyly. Which really meant "Yes, still quite a bit." But Aaron knew Spencer wouldn't outright admit it. He wouldn't admit it because he didn't want to become a burden. Aaron knew that no matter how many times he told Spencer that he wasn't, Spencer would still have that "I'm sorry that I feel sad because it's a burden for you" mentality.  
"Spencer, we need to meet the others at the jet, okay? We're heading home." Spencer nodded, not saying anything. Aaron wiped the stray tears off of his young subordinates face and took his hand, leading him out to the jet. Spencer let himself be led along by his boss, it gave him a certain sense of comfort to have someone care enough to make sure he was alright.  
Spencer was still feeling pretty little even as they boarded the jet, so when Morgan asked him how he was doing, Spencer just shrugged, not wanting to do anything except curl up and sleep. Morgan looked at Hotch for answers but Hotch just mouthed "Tired." Morgan understood, the kid must be completely wiped out after how much he did during the case.  
JJ, on the other hand, wanted answers from Reid, and knowing her, she probably wouldn't rest until she got them. Especially if they had to do with Spencer. JJ always wanted to make sure the kid was alright. She always did it too. Made sure he was alright. The whole team did.

The end.


End file.
